Automatic fire-escape signal.



C. P. HALL.

AUTOMATIC FIRE ESYCAFE SIGNAL. APPLlc/Ilokmsn sEPm. 191s,

' Patented Nov. 20, 1917.

uniTED PATENT FMG@ HUQBERT meeneem, 0F einem@ minnie .emmene .mE-Esse@ elette@- .Sieciffva'ti.0.11 Lef Letfeie Iateef- .li/atente@ Non 22.0, y19,1 7-

Application legseptember 18, :,12 )16. Serial 250,120,837.

To @Zlwwm z'tmay erinnern.'

.Be it `known Athat l, CHESTER l?. HALL, a `citizen of fthe United States, .and a .resident `ofltlie ,village of l'lflaywoocl, fin .the county orf Cookand State of Illinois; have invented .certain new ,and useful "Improvements :in `an Automatic .Fire-'Escape Signal; and I do hereby declare that the following is Va full, -Clear, and exaet description .of :the same,.reference .beinghadtoilleiaeoonipany ingdrawings, .andfto the numerals freierencer marked tlieieon, which storm .a Vpant l of this specification.

A great manythe'fts are .oecasionedininstances Wherethieires gainentranceintoan apartment by` means of afre escape.v Access tothe dire 4.escape itself lis .generally readily obtainechzin .modern constructions, wherein a counter-.Weighted pivoted 'ladder lor stair sectioniis .used .Which-,is held Vin elevated position a-t-.thel seeondstory of'icfthe building-by merelyfengaginga rope onpo'le over the end of the .counterrweighted fladdeii f section and pulling the same doWnward-ly about.' '-'its pivotv support.

"This 'invention relates fto an alarm signal adapted i to 1 be .connected upon "a .fire vesca-'pe whereby laetuntion:or downward `movement vof the' movalole @lire VYescape section -eannot take place :Without ringingtheralarmbell provided. Asa consequence'"unauthorized use of the-piyoted eoiinterwei'glite'dladder section `oflthe r{lre escape immediatelyllbecomes knownfto persons Within heani-ng'. V'ItV is an object of.this-inventionFtoCOIlstruct an alarmv signal fior 'attachment upon a f fire escape `Without necessitating 11e-leonstruction` of the tlire.esea'n'e .members wherehy movement oflthe -eo'untriiveightedpiv- 40 otally-mounted` low-eisection of'ltli'e `'f iieescape ladder is not .permitted Wtlioutsoundingr an alarm. i' It is also an objeetothis invention to v eonstruetan -a'lanm signal f-:oraattachrnent upon .aifie escape providedgw li.-api:vot-al1y mounted` fla elder. extension erelfiy `=a ctua tion. of. lsa'id...pivotallylginountelladdeigex.- tensionz-into douinxeardly swung Spo'sitionjor use sounds the alarmvsignaill *llt Yis1Iii-u rthernanre :an :ixnfpor' tli5iinuention .to 7V'cnstuCtf signal ,-fol'. nttaehnient@uponereeeseapes fpiovided with .a pivotally mounted section which may be swug'fnom thesecondzstory landingof the lire escape tothe ground-be'- neatln' adapted '-.to` loe ,connected thereon Without eliangiiigthe fire escape structure, and 4operatii'ig .to ,sound an [alarm k"fwli'eny tlie fire escape .section is swung#downward-ly, yetl permitting?" return thereof to -Leleiiated position Without "sounding ythe* alarm^- or Without damage t'ofthe .alarin'rsignalf- It is finally an `olojeet ,ofzthis in-.vention to construct 1a `V:thoroughlv ellic'ient' alarnsignal; requiring no '.reconstruetion of thefiife escape structure 'fnor" adjustments'kof the alarm signal, land operating whenever "the rel'escape :is `swung doaivnwardlyzto Ysound an alarm thus signaling.unauthorized inse of Y the escape? more fully.describeiiLA On-the' drawings:

Figure '1, fis alfi'agmentary side lelevatixm illustrated inthe .drawingsandlieiieina.,y er

ofja portion of'the'lire-escapeequippedwithlelew'fie'elelfnloodying'v the principles ofi-my invention "andflshowing the :operation in dottedlnesg 't section -fofa lire escape extending between thesecond and {thirdfflooI-'s ofistlieibui'lling on which ftheniifeescape 'is mounted. Said stationary fire"y escapesection` 11,'A :is Vlrov-iled with a rigid .horizontal l pintle -fshafft "Qylaiid piyota'll-ymounted thereon as s'l1ownfin lig. l', fis a J'downwand-'ly ffti'ltable stair Qorilafdder l delen f than: the l stair veri; 11a' zeonsequenee* f ifefsa'nie elevated. YW'S'eeun i la rante plate 6, provided with a ii-notched clamping extension 7, engaged upon the rigid pintle shaft 2, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, and said frame plate is held rigidly attached in position by a V-notched clamping bar 8, provided with bolts 9, which engage in said extension 7.

A plurality of equidistantly spaced lugs orbosses 10, are formed upon the surface of the frame plate 6, and engaged in each thereof is a stud 11, upon which is pivoted a bell hammer or striker 12. Each of said bell hammers 12, has attached thereto a tension spring 13, which is secured to a fixed point upon the frame plate 6, and normally holds said bell hammer outwardly against a stop 14, one thereof being formed on each of said lugs or bosses 10. Secured centrally in said iframe plate 6, is an outwardly projecting stud sha-ft 15, on the outer end ot' which is secured a large gong 16, and journaled on the inner end of said shaft 15, is a toothed cam wheel 17, disposed in a position to strike the tail eXtensions of the bell hammers 12, to actuate the same inwardly against the stress of their springs 13, in successive order, and then to release the same, whereby they may spring outwardly to strike the gong 1G.

Also journaled upon the shaft 15, between the toothed cam wheel 17, and the surface of the frame plate 6, is a small sheave or pulley 18, having a hub extension upon which is rigidly secured a ratchet wheel 19, disposed adjacent to the toothed cam wheel 17. Pivotcd upon the rear surface of the toothed earn wheel 17, is a pawl 20, normally impelled int-o co-acting driving relation with the ratchet wheel 19, by a spring 21, so that for one direction of rotation of the ratchet wheel 19, the cam wheel 17, is caused to move therewith, but is allowed to remain at rest when said ratchet wheel 19, is rotated in the opposite direction. `Coiled around said sheave or pulley 18, is a cable 22, one end of which is attached upon the counterweight arm e, and the other end of which is attached upon the tiltable re escape section 3.

- l'n the modified form of device shown in Fig. 5, I have shown one end orfl the cable 22, connected to a spring 23, attached on the frame plate 6, and with the other end attached as before to the ladder section 3.

T he operation is as follows:

lThe normal elevated position of the tiltable :lire escape section 3, is shown in Fig. 1. Any unauthorized attempt to pull the same downwardly` whereby yaccess may be had to the main tire escape will cause a swinging movement of the section 3, and the arm f1, of the counter-weight 5, about the stationary Vpivot shaft 2, and consequently a movement of the cable 22, attached theregeteste to, which is wound around the pulley 18, and which will rotate the same. This rotation of the pulley 18, is, or" course, transmitted to the ratchet wheel 19, rigidly associated therewith, and said ratchet wheel 19, will serve to drive the toothed cam wheel 17, through the pawl 20, which. is secured upon said cam wheel 17, and is normally in engagement with said ratchet wheel. liotation ot' the cam wheel 17, will cause the teeth thereof to strike behind the tail Xtensions of the respective bell hammers 12, thereby withdrawing the same inwardly against the stress of their respective springs 13, and then suddenly releasing the same to spring outwardly and strike against the gong 16. Of course, it is obvious that any type of springs whatsoever may be utilized to resist movement of the bell hammers 12. As a consequence, a succession ot blows are struck upon the gong 16, and this alarm signifies that the tiltable lladder section 3, of the fire escape is being swung downwardly. 1t is evident by reference to Fig. 3, that the cam wheel 17, should only be capable of rotation in a counterclockwise direction as the teeth thereof would be jammed against the tail extensions of the bell hammers 1Q, were rotation in the opposite'direction imposed thereupon. Reverse rotation ot the cam wheel 17, cannot occur, even though the tiltable tire escape section 3, is swung upwardly again into normal position for the reason that upon the reverse movement of the pulley 18, and ratchet wheel 19, due to the upward swinging of the lire escape section 3, the ratchet wheel 19, tracks beneath the paw] Q0, that is, while rotatingin clockwise direction as shown in. Fig. il, and does not drive the cam wheel 17. 1n the modified form of device illustrated in Fig. 5, l have shown one end of the cable 22, attached to the spring 23, instead of to the counterweight arm l, so that as a result, when the ladder section 3, is swung downwardly, the spring is tensioned, and again draws the cable back around its sheave 18, when the ladder section is swung upwardly.

l am aware that the details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

l claim as my invention:

1. In a tire escape, the combination withl a pivoted ladder section. of an audible alarm signal mounted detachably but rigidly upon the pivot ot said section, and operative connections between said signal and said pivoted ladder section.

2. In a tire escape, the combination with a pivoted ladder section` of an audible alarm signal mounted detachably but rigidly upon the pivot of said section and comprising a. subscribed my name in the presence of two pulley 2nd meclanisn conlnected itli sai subscribing Witnesses.

u ey or soun ing tie a arm, an a cor i gttached to said ladder section upon oppo- CHESTER P' HALL' site sides of said alarm mechanism and Witnesses: Wound around said pulley. CHARLES W. HILLS, J r.,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto EARL M. HARDINE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

